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G. W. MITTELSTAEDT.

FLY ESCAPE SCREEN. l APPLICATION mio Jun: 4.1920.

Reisued N om 16, 1920*.

` jkl/0 m la To al?, whom t may concer/n: y

- Be it knownl that I, GEORGE W. MITTEL- sTAED'r afcitizen of the United States, residing at Morton Grove, in the county of Cook and State Of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fly-Escape Screens, Of which the following is a speciiication.

This invention relates to fly escape screens, andvpa'rticularly lto that type of screen which permits and induces the escape of flies from the room-where the screen is located by taking advantage of the instinct of such insects to walk upwardly on the screen and to be attracted towardthe light.

The invention has for itsprimary object to provide an improved ily escape screen n which is simple in construction and maybe cheaply and easilymanufactured from material usually employed lin the construction of `the ordinary screen. y

A further object is to provide a type of construction adapted to be applied to the ordinary screen bymeans of which it may be easily reconstructed to form a fly escape screen.

The invention consists in the novel constructions, arrangements and combinations hereinafter described and claimed, for carrying out the above Objects, and such other objectsas will appear from the following description of a preferred embodiment of the invention;

In the drawing I have illustrated a preferred form of construction embodying the principles of my invention and'in which- Figure 1 is an elevation of the exterior of a screen, a portion of the screen mesh thereof having been broken away; y

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the screen shown in Fig. 1;

Fi 3 isa horizontal section taken along the lme 3i- 3v of Fig. 1; and Fig. 4 is a vertical section taken along the line4`-4`ofFig.1.

Like characters of reference designate like partsin ,the several figures of the drawings. For the urpose of` illustration I have shown the invention applied tO a conven- UNITED STATES Prism'o1l=,1=`1ecr..l

GEORGE W. MITTELSTAEDT, OF MORTON GROVE,ILLINOIS,v AssIGNOR 'ro FLY ESCAPE SCREEN COMPANY, OP CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS. l

FLY-ESCAPE SCREEN'. g i

Original NO. 1,305,147, dated May'27, 1919, Serial 110.2825281, filed March 13, 191i reissue filed .Tune-4.1920'. Serial No. 386,578;

Application y for tional form yof half screen. A half screen is one which'covers only half of the window instead of the entire opening, and is cus tomarily positioned Opposite the lower window sashl `The frame l0 is shown as formed OIc upper and lower rails 11 and 12 and side stiles 13 of solid material, such aswood, for

example, although the principles of my invention are applicable equally to the metal frame construction in which the frame members are of any suitable metal construction. Preferablythe frame membersll, 12 and 13 are in all respects'similar tothe frame mem# bers usedl in any ordinary screen cOnstruc-' tion, withthe exceptions hereinafter noted.

rIhey are fastenedtogether in the form-of a frame in any approved manner.

The-upper rail 11 is formed with afcavity "14 in the shape of' a longitudinal channel Vformed in the exterior ace of the rail inter? mediate the adjacent edges. If the `frame is of wood construction, the channel 14 may be readily cut thereinby any ordinary rabbeting tool or machine. vIf the construction is of metal, the channel is preferably pressed, or otherwise formed in the rail. Fly escape passages 15 and 16 lead from the cavity 14 to the upper and lower edges, respectively,

of the rail 11.- These passages or openings are of a size to permit thenescapeof a fly. Preferably the openings or'passages 15 and 16 are not placed Opposite 'each other, so as `to vdecrease the probability that flies will find theirway into the room from -the eX- terior. Any suitable screeningmaterial 17 is secured to the exterior of the frame, and extends over both the -cavity 14 andthe passages 15 and 16. The side andlower margins of the screening material are secured by suitable fastening elements andvv preferably covered by finishing strips18. Preferably the screen is secured to the upper and lower margins 19and 2O of the rail 11 only by fastening elements 21, such as small nails, placed on Opposite sides of thefpassages 15 and 16 which hold the screening material firmly in position. Preferably no finishing strip is used on the upper rail, so as not to cast a shadow across the fly escape passages.

f crease in cost over that of the ordinary i .Flies will not pass Ythrough a shaded passage or across a shaded line.. It is desirable,

therefore, that the cavity 14 and the Hy escapepassages open to the light and be free from shadows.

kThe .ordinary window screen may be reconstructed vto form a Hy escape screen byY Cutting a channel in the top rail and by pro'- viding Hy escape passages leading thereto,

and by covering the exterior face of the top rail by screening material, as pointed out above. 4,

The cavity 14, being relatively large, ad-

mits light above the lower set of openings 16. This light causes the Hies to travel through the passages 16 intothe relatively large cavity 14 and upward through the passages 15 vbecause of the attraction of the light p assinterior of -the room by passing down through the passages 15.

The simplicity of the construction of my .Hy escape screen enables the sameto be made from the same material of which the ordinary screen is made, and at a very sllght `inscreen. No ,Y additional or specially constructed-material is necessary. Ther additionaljoperations iny constructing the upper rail are inexpensive and require nospecial machinery. f Y

I claim:

l. A Hy `escape screen comprising a frame-v work including a top rail formed" with a cavity therein opening on the exterior and formed vintermediate the upper and lower edgesthereof, said top rail being also provided with two series of opemngs made VAabove and below said cavity in the upper and lower parts ofsaid top rail, said openings being madethrough the outside face of lthe screen, and a suitable mesh material secured to said frame and to theexterior face of said top rail, the mesh material inclosing on the exterior said cavity and openings, substantially as described.

2. A Hy escape screen of the characterdescribed, including a frame having a top rail provided with an elongated cavity opening out yon tlieqexteriorl face of said krail and madev intermediate the upper and lower parts of the rail, said cavity providing'v a trap orprison for insects, said top rail also having a series of Hy exit openings in the lower part thereof placing. the cavity -in communication withv the'room, said openings being made through the exterior face of the top rail, said top rail being also provided with a second series of Hy exit openings made in the upper part of said top rail and arranged in staggered relation to the openings of said Hrst-named series, the last named openings placing the trap or prison in communication with the outdoors and being made through the exterior face of said .top rail, and a mesh material secured vto said framework and to the exterior face of said top rail whereby to'close the cavity and both of said series of openings, substantially as described.

3. A Hy escape screen comprising vertical vsidev Stiles, horizontal top and bottom rails connecting said vertical stiles, ysaid top rail vbeing formed with a substantially semi-cylindrical cavity therein opening on the outside face and with numerous small openings arranged in staggered relation in the upper and lower parts ofsaid top rail, said openings` being made through the exteriorv face of the top vrail and leading,"respectively, to

the room and to thefoutdoors, a mesh material stretched over and secured to rsaid frame-work, vertical strips concealing .the

f side edges of said mesh material and secured to said vertical stiles, aj lower strip concealing the lbottom'edge of said mesh materlal and secured to, the lower rail, the

top of the mesh material being left free of strips, and fastening means for securing the mesh material directly'to said top rail, said fastening means being :arranged in pairs close -to and 'at opposite sides ofsaid openings, substantially as described.

, 4. A Hy escape screen comprislng a frame havingthe top rail thereof formed with a cavity .therein intermediate the adjacent edges, and having Hy escape passages leading from said cavity to said adjacent edges.

5. In a kHy escape screen comprising a `frame covered on its outer face with mesh screen, a top rail having a cavity in its .outer face coveredwith said screen and re1- atively short Hy escape passages leading from said cavity to the upper and lower edges of said top rail.:

6. In a vHy escape screen, anfintegraltop rail having formed therein a cavity opening on its outer face, and Hy escape passages leading from said cavity to the upper and lower edges of said top rail.

7. In a Hy escape screen', the combination with thefside members of a frame, of a top rail .Y having a longitudinal cavity therein opening to the exterior, a; mesh screen secured to the exterior of said frame and covering said cavity, said top rail being also formed with Hy escape openings leading to and from said cavity.

i 8. A Hy escapev screen comprising a rectangular frame covered on the exterior with screening material, the top' rail of which is integral and formed. with a' longitudinal channel intermediate the edges of said top rail and with Hy escapepassages leadin from the channel to the adjacent edges o said rail, said channel and passages being of said screen to said cavity and from said cut in the exterior face of sald rail and becavity to the upper edge of said rail, said ing covered by said screening material. frame having screening material therein ex- 10 9. A fly escape screen comprising a frame tending over the exposed face of said rail 5 provided with a rail having formed in the to cover said Cavity and passages.

outer exposed face thereof a cavity, and fly v escape passages leading from the interior GEORGE W. MITTELSTAEDT. 

